The Quintessential English countryside: Babington House, U.K.

Jan 27, 2012

You won’t believe me when I say we’ve had a beautifully sunny fall in the UK, and an incredibly mild winter with crisp light all around. Indeed, darling, it’s been a delight, as everyone says these days in London. (that’s before they’ve read this)

So we’ve been enjoying a few family week ends away in the English countryside, and one I really wanted to share on BozAround was at Babington House. It was a spur of the moment, as this hotel is always full and you need to book months in advance to secure a family room. But we tried our luck for a last minute cancellation, and it worked. If you have any intentions to go in 2012, I’d recommend you call them now.

Babington House is set in 18 hectares, in the heart of Somerset, not too far from the historic town of Bath (although we loved it so much, we never left the property to visit Bath. Shame on us!). It’s a 3hour drive from central London.

It’s the type of hotel where everything is suited to a stay with the children, without it being ‘in your face’, which is exactly the way we love it, don’t we? The family suites are duplex-style, with a huge bathtub, playstations hidden in the cupboard, beautiful wooden babycots if required, and of course, the whole range of organic bodycare for babies and children from the Cowshed line. The swimming pool is really big, indoor and outdoor, warm water, wonderful. There’s a cinema room with popcorns and movies for the children. There is a complimentary dinner for the children every day in the restaurant at tea-time (a very English concept, this tea-time!). And if you wish to have one-on-one time with your sweetheart, you can leave the children for 2 hours at a time at the little kids club where daily activities are organized, such as face painting, lego building etc..

Photo below, left, is the kids club cottage. And right, is snack hot choco time.

We actually did not get one of their family duplex, as we stayed in the independent cottage at the entrance of the property. It turned out perfect ie. the best of both worlds. We had the services of a pampering hotel with delicious breakfast served in the morning and daily maid service, and at the same time the freedom and independence of our own place with a kitchen, a garden, and plenty of space. There are 3 bedrooms in the cottage (including one with bunk beds), but it’s worth saying that the master bedroom on the first floor can be noisy for the light-sleepers because it faces a road where cars do pass…(when life is perfect, you do tend to notice those little imperfections!)

There is a good range of outdoor activities for when it’s not raining, such as cycling, playing football, taking beautiful walks, horseback riding nearby…But it;s highly recommended to bring the wellies. And of course, the famous Cowshed Spa, which originated at Babington House. Btw, they are famous for their pregnancy massage in you’re in for a real treat.

Do you have a favourite English place of stay? If the weather continues like this, we might keep on exploring around London rather than flying away…